Intu Derby incident: We are all under suspicion in these mistrusting times - Derby Telegraph comment

A pensioner trying to be helpful when he spots a toddler seemingly on his own wandering through Intu Derby shopping centre becomes the subject of an investigation after the boy's mother reports the incident to the police.

It later emerges that the 80-year-old man in question had innocently tried to help the youngster and, according to the police, had been "acting with good intentions".

It is easy to understand the actions of the mother in reporting the incident to the police.

But it is also very sad that strangers are automatically viewed with suspicion and mistrust in relation to children. Experts blame this change in society's attitudes on the shocking abduction and murder of Liverpool toddler James Bulger.

That dreadful incident, which happened 21 years ago and involved two child offenders, has had a deep impact on people's awareness of, and behaviour towards, strangers.

Yet this must be all so alien to older people who were brought up in a time when front and back doors remained unlocked and children took themselves to school at the age of five.

It has been revealed that the pensioner in question has been left mortified by the publicity surrounding the incident and by being the subject of such unsavoury suspicion.

We suspect the consequence of this will be that he will never again come to the aid of someone whom he thinks may be in trouble.

And how sad is that?

For, on another day, in another place, he and we suspect many others like him, will turn the other cheek rather than risk their intentions being misconstrued.

The point is "englishgeezer" .....the mother wasn't suspicious....she didn't make a fuss, she just casually wandered over when she finally noticed her one-year-old was talking to someone....... and as far as I know, she hasn't even come forward yet!

The reality is that many children do go missing all the time, and many are never traced. Where do people think they go? Where did Madelin Mccann go? The mother was right to be suspicious, and right to make a fuss. this old fella may well have been innocent, but there are monsters amongst us. You only need to visit Rampton, Broadmoor, or Ashworth to know that.

The mother looked behind her and then 4 seconds later looked behind her again, so she left her child unattended for 4 seconds ! What is wrong with people that they have to find blame where none exists. As for the guy, the fact he walks straight up to the child and starts leading them away is very very odd.

Seeing as there are many people who were premature in damning this elderly man, I feel the need to say that I saw this woman and child seconds before this incident happened. The little lad was running all around the foyer in front of Boots/Little bear factory without his mum paying much attention. He was much further away from her than he was captured doing so in the CCTV footage. So much so that we wondered who he belonged to. My parter commented that his mother wasn't watching him and he shouldn't have been so far away from her.
Lesson learned here but at who's expense? Sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture before jumping to conclusions!

The moral of this is simple. If you see a child that appears to be lost, just kick it out of the way and carry on. Getting involved in any way could be disastrous if some hysterical mother starts throwing wild unsupported accusations about.

I would think that the man in question will be devastated about this to the point of it possibly triggering his early demise. How I hate what this society has become. Go abroad and things are a lot more easy going and safe.